Cities Will Share Data in Prostitute Crackdown

Law enforcement and city officials from Santa Ana, Anaheim and Garden Grove agreed Thursday on an interim system of data-sharing--under the auspices of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department--to combat the longstanding problem of prostitution along Harbor Boulevard.

The plan, according to Santa Ana Mayor Dan Griset, is the “start of a countywide attack force” aimed at syndicated street prostitution--professional prostitutes who travel from city to city on a regular circuit.

High Bail, Jail Time

It includes a request to judges to raise bail for those charged with prostitution and to sentence those convicted to mandatory jail time.

For months, residents of the three cities along a seven-mile stretch of Harbor Boulevard have complained about growing street prostitution. The thoroughfare is lined by motels, bars and fast-food establishments that serve visitors to nearby Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center.

Local law enforcement officials have had some difficulty in reducing prostitution because they say prostitutes merely cross the street from one jurisdiction to another to avoid arrest. When taken into custody, they give false names, claiming to be first offenders, and are often released on low bonds or personal recognizance and then return to the streets.

Under the plan discussed Thursday by about 30 officials in a closed-door hearing, arresting officers will feed data to the Sheriff’s Department, which will maintain a master list of prostitution arrests. Griset said that the officials will ask judges to hold those arrested until after arraignment, thus enabling police to determine true identities and arrest records.

In addition, Griset said, the group was assured by Sheriff Brad Gates, who attended the session, that if the sheriff is informed in advance of coordinated sweeps for prostitution along Harbor Boulevard, provision will be made to ensure that space is available in the overcrowded Orange County Jail for those arrested on misdemeanor charges relating to prostitution.

Two months ago, Gates issued a policy stating that people arrested for all misdemeanor offenses except drunk driving would not be jailed, due to the federal mandate to reduce jail population.

‘Not Just Victimless Crime’

This approach, Griset said, “will allow us to do a more effective job” in “undoing syndicated prostitution” in Orange County.

Griset said that if judges throughout the county agree to raise the bail for prostitution from $1,000 to $5,000 and impose active jail sentences of 45 days for the second conviction and 90 days for the third conviction, those engaging in prostitution will not simply move from one Orange County municipality to another.

Prostitution, Griset said, “is not just a victimless crime.”

The group, which has met once before, will meet again in two weeks to work out the specifics of the information-sharing plan, he said.